Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/199890
P O S T G A M E R E P O R T W E E K 7 OHIO STATE 63, PENN STATE 14 THE GAME AT A GLANCE GOOD NEWS There are WHAT A DRAG Other than a late 65-yard catch-and-run, Ohio State held Allen Robinson mostly in check. Steve Manuel Buck wild Fourth-ranked Ohio State opens the floodgates on PSU MATT HERB | m at t @ b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State is probably not invincible. The Buckeyes may be 20-0 under Urban Meyer, ranked fourth in the country and in contention for the national championship. But there had been moments this year in which they have looked like a very average football team, moments in which an inopportune play or two – a fumble or an interception or a sack – might have ended their push for a second consecutive undefeated season. That was the Ohio State team that Penn State o c t o b e R 2 6 , was hoping to see on Saturday night, the one that scuffled against Northwestern and Iowa before rallying late. If that team showed up and the game was close in the fourth quarter, there was no reason to believe the Lions couldn't make the kind of plays they needed to make to shock the world. Just ask Michigan. But that Ohio State team did not show up. The Ohio State team that Penn State saw instead on Saturday was absolutely pitiless. It gouged the Nittany Lions' defense for one big play after an2 0 1 3 1 b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m better days ahead for Penn State. Bill Belton's performance was encouraging, and considering the youth that comprises a large portion of Penn State's roster, this one can be chalked up to a painful learning experience. BAD NEWS Ohio State punched first on the opening drive, and it kept bludgeoning the Nittany Lions until Christian Hackenberg and Belton left the game with minor injuries. Then Ohio State piled on a few more. THE TAKEAWAY Penn State is a couple strong recruiting classes away from having the depth to compete with the likes of Ohio State. Then again, that's the case with almost every team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes' No. 4 ranking is no fluke.